Inside Mary Tyler Moore's personal tragedy when her only child died at 24 years old

Mary Tyler Moore was a beloved Golden Globe-winning actress, a breakthrough comedian, a smart producers, a wife ... and a mother.

Moore was married for the first time at just 18 years old, to her next door neighbor, Richard Carleton Meeker, in 1955, and within weeks of their wedding she became pregnant. The young bride gave birth to her first, and only, child at 19 years old when she welcomed son, Richie Meeker.

Moore's marriage to Meeker ended in 1961, and she married Grant Tinker, a CBS executive, the following year. At the time, her career was taking off as she scored a role opposite Dick Van Dyke on "The Dick Van Dyke" show.

Of being a young mother, she once said, "If I had it to do over, I wouldn't have pursued a career while I had a little boy to care for," she writes. "My heart breaks when I think of the times missed, times with him. How predictable that without awareness I emulated my mother's behavior towards me."

(Original Caption) Los Angeles, California: Richard G. Meeker, 24, son of television star Mary Tyler Moore, shot himself in the head with a shotgun late October 14, at his home near the University of Southern California campus. Meeker is shown here in a photo taken last month.

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Sadly the time with her son ended way too quickly. When Richie was just 24 years old, he accidentally shot and killed himself when a gun he was cleaning went off and he suffered a gunshot wound to the head. Following his death, rumors swirled that he had committed suicide. Moore was forced to address the rumors in the press.

"Unfortunately, there were terrible rumors that Richie killed himself, but it was an accident," she told the National Ledger. "He was a gun collector, was cleaning guns, and one of them went off and shot him in the head."

At the time, Meeker's roommate told The Washington Post, "He was loading and unloading the short-barreled gun when it went off...It was awful. He must have pulled the trigger. There was a big bang and he fell on the bed."

Her son was working at CBS at the time as a messenger and was also a student at USC.

The same year, Moore starred in "Ordinary People," a movie in which she plays a woman who loses her son in an accident and whose other son attempts suicide. Her work on the film earned her an Academy Award nomination.

The time was reportedly one of the hardest in her life.

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Mary Tyler Moore through the years

(Original Caption) Still from The Mary Tyler Moore Show showing Moore standing, smiling, inside of the WJM newsroom. Moore is shown from the waist-up, holding a cup of coffee.

(Original Caption) Close-up of Mary Tyler Moore.

(Original Caption) Tops in television's comedy series are Mary Tyler Moore and Dick Van Dyke, both from the cast of the Dick Van Dyke Show. Expressing their joy during the Emmy presentations May 22, it is the 2nd Emmy for Miss Moore and the 3rd for Van Dyke and each won this time for an Outstanding Continued Performance. Their show which goes off the air this season, has won 16 Emmy's in 5 years.

(Original Caption) Anybody familiar with Mary's type of mugging will recognize this face.

(Original Caption) A happy group of Emmy owners get together following the 18th Annual Emmy Award Presentations here - and they all belong to the Dick Van Dyke Show, a TV comedy series. Left to right: Bill Persky, Writing Achievement; Carl Reiner, Producer; Mary Tyler Moore, Continued Performance by an Actress; Dick Van Dyke, continued performance by an actor and Sam Denoff, Writing Achievement. It is the 3rd Emmy for Dick Van Dyke on the show and the 2nd for Miss Moore and the 16th Emmy for the show in five years.

(Original Caption) Although Mary claims she's working harder than she ever has, you'd never know it from looking at her.

Actress Mary Tyler Moore poses with the cast of her new television series titled Mary. Clockwise from bottom: Moore, James Hampton, Judith Kahan, David Letterman, Michael Keaton, Dick Shawn, and Swoosie Kurtz.

UNITED STATES - NOVEMBER 01: Dr. Robert Levine and wife, actress Mary Tyler Moore on their wedding day. (Photo by The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images)

NEW YORK CITY - AUGUST 21: Actress Mary Tyler Moore attends the 'La Cage aux Folles' Opening Night Performance on August 21, 1983 at the Palace Theatre in New York City. (Photo by Ron Galella/WireImage)

NEW YORK CITY - MAY 23: Actress Carol Burnett and actress Mary Tyler Moore attend a dinner gala to celebrate the Museum of Broadcasting's upcoming exhibition of 'The Many Worlds of Carol Burnett' on May 23, 1988 at the St. Regis Hotel in New York City. (Photo by Ron Galella, Ltd./WireImage)

NEW YORK CITY - NOVEMBER 19: Vogue editor Anna Wintour and actress Mary Tyler Moore attend the Opening Night Gala and Reception of the 95th Season of the New York City Ballet Featuring Peter Martins' 'A Musical Offering' on November 19, 1991 at New York State Theater, Lincoln Center in New York City. (Photo by Ron Galella, Ltd./WireImage)

NEW YORK CITY - DECEMBER 3: Actress Mary Tyler Moore attends the Third Annual Wild West Hoedown to Benefit the Literacy Volunteers of New York City on December 3, 1991 at the St. Vartan Cathedral in New York City. (Photo by Ron Galella, Ltd./WireImage)

NEW YORK CITY - FEBRUARY 10: Actress Mary Tyler Moore attends the 116th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show - Celebrity Viewing Party on February 10, 1992 at Laura Belle's in New York City. (Photo by Ron Galella/WireImage)

Robert Levine and Mary Tyler Moore during Museum of TV & Radio Honors David Brinkley and Mary Tyler Moore - February 9, 1995 at Waldorf Astoria in New York, New York, United States. (Photo by Ron Galella, Ltd./WireImage)

Betty White, Mary Tyler Moore and Ed Asner during Museum of TV & Radio Honors David Brinkley and Mary Tyler Moore - February 9, 1995 at Waldorf Astoria in New York, New York, United States. (Photo by Ron Galella/WireImage)

NEW YORK CITY - OCTOBER 16: Actress Mary Tyler Moore autographs copies of her new book 'After All' on October 16, 1996 at Borders in New York City. (Photo by Ron Galella, Ltd./WireImage)

NEW YORK CITY - NOVEMBER 12: Actress Mary Tyler Moore and husband Dr. Robert Levine attend 'The English Patient' New York City Premiere on Novmeber 12, 1996 at the Ziegfeld Theater in New York City. (Photo by Ron Galella, Ltd./WireImage)

285834 04: Actress Mary Tyler Moore stands at the premiere of the musical 'Chicago' November 14, 1996 in New York City. The musical, which was choreographed by Bob Fosse, follows the adventures of a cast of lowlifes during the 1920s. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Liaison)

NEW YORK CITY - MAY 13: Actress Mary Tyler Moore attends the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International Honors Edgar Bronfman, Jr. on May 13, 1997 at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. (Photo by Ron Galella, Ltd./WireImage)

American actress and commedienne Mary Tyler Moore, dressed in a black evening gown with one transparent sleeve, poses at the Tony Awards, New York, New York, June 1, 1997. (Photo by Dave Allocca/DMI/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images)

Mary Tyler Moore during 5th Annual Michael Awards for the Fashion Industry at NY Hilton Hotel in New York City, New York, United States. (Photo by Ron Galella, Ltd./WireImage)

NEW YORK CITY - OCTOBER 27: Actress Mary Tyler Moore and guest attend the Screening of ABC Television and 'The Wonderful World of Disney' Present 'Cinderella' on October 27, 1997 at Sony Theatres Lincoln Square in New York City. (Photo by Ron Galella, Ltd./WireImage)

LOS ANGELES - OCTOBER 19: Actress Mary Tyler Moore and husband Dr. Robert Levine depart for New York City on October 19, 1997 at Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ron Galella, Ltd./WireImage)

397203 02: Newswoman Katie Couric and actress Mary Tyler Moore attend the Broadcasting and Cable Magazine's annual 'Hall of Fame' gala November 12, 2001 at the New York Marriott Marquis. (Photo by George De Sota/Getty Images)

UNITED STATES - FEBRUARY 19: Fidel, a Good Will Foundation dog, nuzzles Mary Tyler Moore at the Pierre Hotel on 61st St., where Moore was honored with a lifetime achievement award from the ASPCA for her work with animals. (Photo by Robert Rosamilio/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images)

Mary Tyler Moore with husband Dr. Robert Levine arriving at 'A Work In Progress: An Evening With David O. Russell' hosted by the Museum of Modern Art's Department of Film and Media, at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. April 10, 2002. Photo: Eva

Spirit Award Honoree Mary Tyler Moore during Lifetime's Achievement Awards: Women Changing the World - Show - Lifetimes Achievement Awards Taped May 8 Will Air On Thursaday May 8th at 10PM (ET/PT) On Lifetime Television at Manhattan Center in New York City, New York, United States. (Photo by KMazur/WireImage)

WASHINGTON - JUNE 24: Actress Mary Tyler Moore, International Chairperson of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, smiles as she testifies during a hearing before the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee June 24, 2003 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. The hearing focused on controlling the cost of federal health programs by curing diabetes. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Mary Tyler Moore and Bernadette Peters during Broadway Barks 5 in Shubert Alley at Shubert Alley in New York City, New York, United States. (Photo by Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic)

NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 2: (U.S. TABS AND HOLLYWOOD REPORTER OUT) Actress Mary Tyler Moore arrives at the 'CBS At 75' celebration at the Hammerstein Ballroom November 2, 2003 in New York City. This special event commemorates CBS Network's 75th anniversary. (Photo by Matthew Peyton/Getty Images)

BEVERLY HILLS, CA - OCTOBER 05: Actresses Mary Tyler Moore (L) and Cloris Leachman arrive at the celebration for Cloris Leachman's 60 years in show business at Fogo De Chao restaurant on October 5th, 2006 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Vince Bucci/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON - JULY 18: Actress and current International Chairman of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Mary Tyler Moore meets with U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) in his office in the Capitol July 18, 2006 in Washington, DC. Moore payed a visit to Frist in the run up to votes the U.S. Congress will make on stem cell research. The Senate is debating the Santorum-Brownback Fetus Farming Prohibition Act, the Santorum-Specter Alternative Pluripotent Stem Cell Therapies Enhancement Act and the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act and is expected to vote on all three today. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

NEW YORK - MARCH 24: Actress Mary Tyler Moore visits the 'Late Show with David Letterman' at the Ed Sullivan Theater on March 24, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Ray Tamarra/Getty Images)

Mary Tyler Moore and Bernadette Peters attends the 11th Annual Broadway Barks in Shubert Alley on July 11, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Bobby Bank/WireImage)

(L-R) Betty White, Gavin McLeod, Mary Tyler Moore and Ed Asner attend Museum of Television and Radio Gala Honoring David Brinkley and Mary Tyler Moore on February 9, 1995 at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City. (Photo by Ron Galella, Ltd./WireImage)

Actress Mary Tyler Moore and husband Dr. Robert Levine attend the Third Annual Television Academy Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on March 23, 1986 at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in Santa Monica, California. (Photo by Ron Galella/WireImage)

Actress Mary Tyler Moore and husband Dr. Robert Levine attend the Girl Scout Council of Greater New York's 50th Anniversary Celebration on January 24, 1990 at The Plaza Hotel in New York City. (Photo by Ron Galella, Ltd./WireImage)

Actress Mary Tyler Moore attends the Second Annual Wild West Hoedown to Benefit the Literacy Volunteers of New York City on November 26, 1990 at St. Vartan Cathedral in New York City. (Photo by Ron Galella, Ltd./WireImage)

Actress Mary Tyler Moore visits actor David Carroll backstage at the 'Grand Hotel' Broadway Musical on January 4, 1990 at the Martin Beck Theatre in New York City. (Photo by Ron Galella, Ltd./WireImage)

Actress Mary Tyler Moore attends the Seventh Annual Hill's Science Diet Winner's Circle Awards on February 5, 1993 at the New York Hilton Hotel in New York City. (Photo by Ron Galella, Ltd./WireImage)

Actress Mary Tyler Moore attends the ASPCA's (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) First Annual 'Auction for the Animals' Benefit on March 30, 1993 at Sotheby's in New York City. (Photo by Ron Galella, Ltd./WireImage)

Actress Mary Tyler Moore and husband Dr. Robert Levine attend the Seventh Annual Hill's Science Diet Winner's Circle Awards on February 5, 1993 at the New York Hilton Hotel in New York City. (Photo by Ron Galella, Ltd./WireImage)

Actress Mary Tyler Moore attends the New York Chapter Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International Presents the 26th Annual Promise Ball on November 14, 1998 at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. (Photo by Ron Galella, Ltd./WireImage)

Actress Mary Tyler Moore on July 22, 1998 walks on Madison Avenue in New York City. (Photo by Ron Galella, Ltd./WireImage)

Actress Mary Tyler Moore attends the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International Honors Edgar Bronfman, Jr. on May 13, 1997 at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. (Photo by Ron Galella, Ltd./WireImage)

Actress Mary Tyler Moore and television journalist Paula Zahn attend the Fifth Annual Rainforest Alliance Champion Awards Dinner on April 22, 1996 at the Lincoln Center in New York City. (Photo by Ron Galella, Ltd./WireImage)

The British actress, singer and writer Julie Andrews (Julia Elizabeth Wells) and the American actress Mary Tyler Moore talking with the receptionist of a hotel in the film Thoroughly Modern Millie. USA, 1967 (Photo by Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images)

Mary Tyler Moore backstage at Broadway Barks 14 at the Booth Theatre on July 14, 2012 in New York City. Marking its 14th anniversary, Broadway Barks!, founded by Bernadette Peters and Mary Tyler Moore helps many of New York City's shelter animals find permanent homes and also inform New Yorkers about the plight of the thousands of homeless dogs and cats in the metropolitan area. (Photo by Walter McBride/Corbis via Getty Images)